Monthly Archives: March 2013

Easter

The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings.
~ by Joyce Kilmer

Not this year, Joyce. It has been the worst Month of March, weather wise, since the year I was born. On the raido a short while ago, we were warned that April will prove very cruel for wildlife. There is hope at the end of the tunnel – or maybe it is a tease – May will bring a Heatwave!!!

Happy Easter To Everyone

The sky is light
The hills are white,
The air is cold
but my heart is bright,
E&G I will see you tonight.

“A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg
even though they know you are slightly cracked.”

The ringing phone filled her with dread. She could see the name flashing on the caller ID screen.

Any relationship is built on the strength of the two who build it. The commitment, the honesty and the trust that a lasting relationship requires must be given freely, wholly, and without reservation.

Two weeks ago when she called him, he left her on hold for what felt like three years, with no real explanation. His usual breathless excitement on hearing her voice over the previous years, had slowly faded in recent months, so she began to suspect that her calls were not important to him these days. The fizz had gone out of the relationship.

There was a time when he made her feel like she was the light of his life, the sole purpose of his happiness. Conversations were exciting, interesting and thought provoking. Recently she was increasingly finding it difficult to listen well, because he did not talk about anything important any more. Their voices filled the space, each afraid that any silence might confirm their suspicions, that they had reached the end of the road.

Eventually, he was now calling her back.

He flattered himself that he was a good listener. Anyone overhearing the conversations would misconstrue his coy flirtations over the past few weeks, but all he talked was drivel. She tried to listen, but found she was drifting.

A guy had been checking out a Redhead sitting at the next table since he sat
down, but lacked the nerve to talk with her.

Suddenly she sneezed, and her glass eye came flying out of its socket
Towards the man. He reflexively reached out, grabbed it out of the air, and
Handed it back.

‘Oh my, I am so sorry,’ the woman said, as she popped her eye back in place.
‘Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you.’

They enjoyed a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they went to the
Theatre followed by drinks. They talked, they laughed, she shared her
deepest dreams and he shared his. She listened to him with interest.

After paying for everything, she asked him if he would like to come to her
Place for a nightcap and stay for breakfast. They had a wonderful, wonderful
time.

The next morning, she cooked a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy
was amazed. Everything had been so incredible!

‘You know,’ he said, ‘you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every
Guy you meet?’

How many times did you say those words, or have someone say them to you?

In the middle of December 2011, I became aware of a project at the hands of Planet Korda Pictures.

Planet Korda Pictures in association with RTÉ, were looking for stories or anecdotes about all aspects of the cinema-going experience from people of all ages within the island of Ireland. I could not resist adding my tuppenceworth to the stories already gathered.

In May of last year interviews were being held in Dublin and I was asked if I would be available for a chat. Always ready to try something new, I went along and it was a very interesting experience.

The aim of the project was to make a documentary about Ireland at the movies through eight decades. Like a journey through a shared history, with a very particular slant: growing up with the cinema.

Following months of travelling all over the land and interviewing cinema goers, a feature film is now ready and ‘See You at the Pictures!’ will be broadcast on RTÉ1 on Monday 1st April 2013 at 21:30 hrs.

I have no guarantee of being included, I might be lying in a bundle on a cold cutting room floor by now, but I will make it my business to watch and have my memory jogged about cinemas and films that I have forgotten all about.

Another aim, was to build a free online social history resource, a repository of information surrounding the history of Irish cinema. This is still a work in progress. The main focus of the site will be an interactive map of Ireland containing every cinema that has ever existed in the country. Eventually, when clicked on, each cinema will show video testimonials of former patrons, photographs and written accounts of people’s experiences there.

I know. I know. I covered the letter E a couple of weeks ago, but, but……

I found an egg!

Yes. I found an egg when I was down in Dublin. Mind you it would have been difficult to miss it.

2.4 m ( 7ft 10 inches) high.
880kg ( (1940 lbs) in weight.

That means it was as heavy as 7.6 baby elephants (average elephant calf weighs 115kg). Or more than 15 full grown pot belly pigs (125 lbs each).

Or to put it in more manageable figures:

17,600 BARS OF CHOCOLATE! (50g each)

It was behind protective glass, so not so easy for me to capture.

To date it is the Largest chocolate egg ever created in Ireland and made entirely of milk chocolate. The egg was crafted by Lily O’ Brien’s in celebration of their title sponsorship of The Big Egg Hunt in Aid of Jack & Jill.

The Egg was decorated with white chocolate lilies, decorative leaves and jewels by Charlotte Marrifield.

This egg was not hard to find. Pity it was on my last morning in Dublin or I would have had fun for a few more days….

It was all part of ‘The Big Egg Hunt 2013’ an interactive public art display where 100 exquisite and uniquely crafted eggs designed by leading artists and celebrities took to the streets of Dublin. The Eggs were placed in key locations of the city from the 12th February to the 15th March before they were brought to one central location at CHQ building (IFSC, Docklands, Dublin 1) and displayed for one week.

During the initial period the general public were invited to take part in Ireland’s biggest Egg hunt and an online auction for the Eggs.

Supporting The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation

The event will culminate in a Gala Black Tie Ball at the Four Seasons Hotel Dublin Tonight 23rd March where the top 30 Eggs will be auctioned live. This event will bring old and new together by uniting the tradition of the egg hunt with cutting edge technology and beautiful art, which will be a first for engaging mass participation in this way and on this scale.

The main point of the whole endeavour is to raise awareness of & funds for the wonderful work of The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation and the 300 babies nationwide currently under their wing.

So what can I do to cooperate with water conservation?
Adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is watered and not the house, footpath, or street. Reducing the use of water will decrease water pollution, increase energy savings, and create more efficient use of our water resources. – Someone please tell The Big fella up above that he left the tap running non stop over Ireland for the past two years! 😛
Monitor all water bills for unusually high use. The bill and water meter are tools that can help to discover leaks. – I know where my leeks are, I keep them in the veg box!
Plant in the autumn when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful. – In Ireland? Everyone including the cat knows we get all four seasons every hour, every day, EVERY YEAR!
Choose shrubs and ground cover plants instead of turf for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips. – Will weeds do the job? 😉
If water runs off the lawn easily, split the watering time into shorter periods to allow for better absorption. – What? You mean do it in between the showers?
Water the lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation. – If I went out to water the garden early in the morning, I’d have chilblains on my chilblains!
Don’t water the lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates. – I wouldn’t do that. I might be blown away and then who would turn off the water?
For hanging baskets, planters and pots, place ice cubes under the moss or dirt to give the plants a cool drink of water and help eliminate water overflow. – Don’t give them gin, save that for me! 😉
When you give your pet fresh water, don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs. – I don’t have pets for this one.
Use the garbage disposal sparingly. – Where’s Buffy? 😆
Wash fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap, then reuse it to water houseplants. – I’m the only house plant round here, do you think it would work on Rose Marie?
Run the clothes washer only when there is a full load. – I miss putting Elly in the washer to fill up that extra space. No wonder her hair was always shiny. 👿
Run the dishwasher only when it is full. – For years I had a very efficient dishwasher, mobile, used no electricity, little water, even dried and put the dishes away and whistled through the chore. I miss him and not just for doing the dishes! 😥
When you save water, you save money on your utility bills too. Saving water is easy for everyone to do. – I tried putting it in my piggy bank, alas, it went everywhere except in that coin slit.
Listen for dripping faucets and running toilets. Fixing a leak can save 300 gallons a month or more. – The only drip round here is me!

Now all I want is a car that will run on air:

The topic Frugality was brought to our Loose Blogging Consortium playground this week by The old Fossil. My take may seem flippant, but it is very much tongue in cheek. The weather outside is certainly not frugal or timid right now (Thursday 21:20). I am listening to the swirling & howling wind, aware that NIE has emergency crews, engineers and call handlers on stand-by. The local airports are asking passengers to check the status of their flight before leaving home. We also have weather warnings of heavy rain followed by ice, snow and blizzard conditions overnight and tomorrow. I’ll stay home, cosy and warm for the duration and distract myself by visiting our other active members: Delirious,Maxi,Maria/Gaelikaa,Maria SilverFox,Padmum,Ramana,Shackman speaks,The Old Fossil,Will Knott.

Have you ever spoken and wished that you could immediately take the words back… Or that you could crawl into a hole?

+=+=+

Alice walked into a hair salon with her husband and three kids in tow and asked loudly:

“How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?”

She suddenly turned around and walked back out and never went back.
Her husband didn’t say a word…
He knew better.

(*) (*) (*)

Cheryl was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls.
She was unhappy with the women’s type she had been using.
After browsing for several minutes,
A good-looking gentlemen who works at the store approached, and asked if he could help.

Without thinking, she looked at him and said, ‘I think I like playing with men’s balls.’

#-#-#-#

Evelyn and Gail were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of candy and nuts. As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if they needed any help.

Gail replied, “No, I’m just looking at your nuts.”
Evelyn started to laugh hysterically.
The boy grinned, and Gail turned beet-red and walked away.
To this day, Evelyn has never misses an opportunity to remind Gail about that day.